Last night the pro-Hamas encampment that has been on George Washington University’s campus for weeks was finally removed by police.
We reported on April 28 that Washington DC’s Mayor Bowser had refused to allow police to remove the protesters at GWU because she was worried about optics:
At 3:00 AM on Saturday morning, Washington, D.C. police were lined up and prepared to enter the campus of George Washington University to clear anti-Israel protesters from a tent encampment they had built.
However, according to the Washington Post, the police got the order to stand down from their superiors. Two sources told the Post the cops were “worried about the optics of moving against a small number of peaceful protesters, according to two officials familiar with the talks.”
The office of Mayor Muriel Bowser was also involved in the decision for the cops to back off.
So why did Bowser finally relent and allow police to do what they should have done two weeks ago? Because Congress had demanded she appear in a hearing today to explain why she refused to enforce the law:
Comer tells Fox today's House hearing on DC/antisemitism and how GW handled protesters is cancelled for today
Comer: "I spoke with the Mayor and complimented her," said Comer.
“They finally did their job,” said Comer.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 8, 2024
Comer statement after DC police clear out protesters occupying George Washington University:
Following the Metropolitan Police Department finally clearing out the unlawful encampment on GW’s campus, I am very pleased to announce that the hearing with Mayor Bowser has been canceled. I had a good conversation with Mayor Bowser. I thanked her for finally clearing the trespassers off the GW Campus. It was unfortunate the situation at GW forced the Oversight Committee to act; however it was apparent that the DC police force was not going to do their job. Therefore, after meeting with GW leadership and touring the encampment, we decided to hold a public hearing to get answers as to why the Mayor would not uphold the law. I am pleased that the potential Oversight hearing led to swift action by Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief Smith. We will continue to hold D.C. officials accountable to ensure our nation’s capital is safe for all.
DC Mayor Bowser expects today’s hearing on Capitol Hill where she and DC Police Chief were called to testify will no longer happen after protesters removed from GW campus overnight https://t.co/nIoPowwvsH
— Steve Chenevey FOX5 (@stevechenevey) May 8, 2024
This mayor is unbelievable. She only relented and had police clear the campus the night before she was to appear in a hearing to explain her actions, or inactions, in refusing to uphold the law. She finally did it to get out of a hearing because she didn’t want the bad press. A despicable politician to the core.